A New Rose
by A Castle of Glass
Summary: The Dark Forest may have been defeated, but new enemies will come from afar. They will attempt to bring Swift justice upon the Clans. The Rose may save you, but beware of the Thorns, or it may be lost forever. Who is Rose? Who are the new enemies? What are the Thorns?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**Hello new and old readers! This is my new story A New Rose, a Twoleg to cat to Warrior Fanfic. Cliche, I know, but nearly every great author on here has one, so I decided to join the party. I took inspiration from fics called Treading Among The Stars and Sidestep, but it is not copied. This'll be a true side story, meaning it definitely won't have a consistent posting date, but I'll try not to avoid this story. I hope you guys like it! **

**Warning: This story will have some swearing, and maybe some imagery in the transformation that some may find disturbing. Hopefully not, because it isn't very hardcore or anything.**

**This story will be my first first-person story, so it might not be the best.**

**The story will begin now. Soon, you'll meet her, but for now, a dream featuring Bramblestar.**

_Prologue Part One: Dreams_

Bramblestar looked around the clearing, concerned. The shadows surrounded him, and he couldn't see the sun, the moon, or the stars. He was sure of one thing though, he wasn't in the Dark Forest, but there was something ominous in the air.

He was sitting on a rock that jutted out a tail-length or two above the ground, giving him a clear view of what was around him. The clearing was as bare as the stone hollow, the dirt as dry as grass in green-leaf. The trees were dark, and sent frightening shadows across the center of the clearing. This wasn't a normal dream.

It had been one moon since the battle, and many cats were recovering quickly. However, Sandstorm was still close to mad with grief over Firestar, and Dustpelt still wasn't quite the same, but then again, none of them were the same since the battle. Cloudtail had admitted that he finally fully believed in StarClan, and Molepaw and Cherrypaw were still slightly horrified by the mention of battle. They had seen many deaths, and many other bad things in that battle, but thankfully, it was all over.

Bramblestar sighed. He knew that he could either stay on the rock or move, and since nothing was happening, he assumed someone wanted him to move. He would have to oblige. He carefully got off his rock and warily pushed his way through the tall trees, his body braced for action.

After what seemed like forever, he came to an open meadow, where he saw the mountains in the distance. Why was he here? There was nothing in sight other than the mountains, the meadow, and the trees behind him, or so he thought.

"Hello," a voice mewed calmly from behind, startling Bramblestar greatly. He turned only to see Firestar, along with someone unexpected. Stoneteller was standing right next to Firestar, looking younger and stronger than he ever had been when Bramblestar had met him.

"What is it, Firestar? Stoneteller?" Bramblestar replied. He hadn't seen these two together since the Great Journey.

"What is it? Is that really a way to greet two old friends?" Firestar purred. His pelt was bright and smooth, and his eyes glowed green.

Bramblestar sighed, "Hello Firestar. Do you two have a message for me?" At this, Firestar's eyes darkened considerably.

Stoneteller stepped forward, "Unfortunately, we do." His eyes were a storm of hidden emotion.

"The Dark Forest may have been defeated, but new enemies rise from afar," Firestar mewed darkly.

"They will attempt to bring Swift justice to the Clans," Stoneteller added. A moment later, he continued, "The Rose may save you, but beware of its Thorns, or it may be lost forever."

Bramblestar narrowed his eyes, "A Rose? Justice? What is this about?" As he spoke, Firestar smiled weakly and he and Stoneteller disappeared. After that, Bramblestar quickly woke up to the sounds of a busy camp.

_Prologue Part Two: Isosceles Peak_

Sometimes, I hate my mom.

Here I am, sitting in an old family minivan with two mad scientists, one my mother and the other my future stepdad, who I happen to despise. We also happen to be on our way to a cabin on a mountain with no T.V, no computer, and no snowboarding. According to my mom, she wants me to bond with Jack, the bastard that's probably going to propose in this cabin while they work in their nearby lab.

My mom also had the nerve to name me Alessandra Florentino Jr., as if she was so important that she deserves a clone of herself, though I wouldn't be surprised if she made one. She works on a lot of crazy things, like shape-shifting nano bots, which didn't do anything, and mass cloning, which again, didn't work. Somehow, after my father died, she managed to find someone as crazy as her, and one who liked her. His name was Jack Ryder. He makes horrible jokes, he only eats junk food, and he happens to hate me. Wonderful, right?

Isosceles Peak was known for its large population of feral cats and its many birds of prey, which of course, drew my stupid mom in. She wanted to know why there were so many cats and birds in the area, and she claimed that she could make a working shapeshifting injection so that she could check it out herself. Personally, I wouldn't give her the antidote just so I could have a new pet. I had had a cat last year, but Rose was killed by Jack in an 'accident' with the equipment. If only I could turn 18 sooner. I was 16 years old, and I was stuck.

I was just sitting in the back on my cheap iPhone 4S, because apparently my 'successful' mother couldn't afford a better phone. I had nothing else. Nothing. All I had was 10 books, my phone, and tons of plain clothes, while my mother had tons of jewelry and tablets. My one best friend, Sarah Hughes, was halfway across the country.

Eventually, after playing lots of Peggle, my mom stopped the car. Without saying anything to me, the two of them left, leaving me in the back. Sighing, I pushed my door open, only to be blasted by snow. Even better! It was a blizzard! Covering my face with my covered arm, I rushed into the small wood cabin in front of me and my bag over my shoulder.

It was just like I thought it would be, boring. There was an old, dusty coat rack, where Jack had put his fedora, which I thought looked ridiculous, though he thought it was beautiful. An old, raggedy carpet had been laid down across the walkway, full of dust and dead insects. It led to a medium-sized room with two couches and a fireplace. Beyond that, there was a small, dated kitchen and the doors to two bedrooms. Thankfully I had my own room, away from the two wackos.

My mom was in the kitchen loading all the supplies that she had brought, which mostly included junk food for Jack the Slob. Speaking of Jack, he was already laying on the couch, reading on his Kindle Fire, which of course, was 'too expensive' for me to have. Sighing, I took off my coat and threw it on the rack. I then took my bag and walked into one of the rooms. Setting the bag down, I flipped the light switch, and found myself in a nightmare room. The room was full of creepy, old dolls that made me want to run out screaming, but knowing my mom, this'd be my room.

"Honey, do you want your chips?" My mother yelled to Jack. She had brought close to 20 bags just for him, compared to a few snack boxes for me. It was sad, really. My mother really can't see that Jack is just taking advantage of her.

Sweeping the dolls off the bed, I dropped my books, which included the entire Lord of the Rings series, The Hobbit, and the first book of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Quartet, Eragon, on the bed and took out The Hobbit. I had read it about 4 times, but of course, getting more books was 'too expensive.'

Sighing, I flipped through the book until I reached page 296, and continued reading. If only I was like Bilbo, and I had a way of disappearing. If I had one, I'd probably use it to steal the car keys and drive anywhere but Isosceles Peak. Checking my iPhone, I noticed that the temperature was perfect at a level of 5-20 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so at least I'd have a good time, right?

_An hour later..._

Thank god for the iPhone. Even though I had no coverage, I had tons of games that I could probably use to stay in my room for however long we would be here, and there were plugs in this stupid cabin, so I could charge my iPhone.

As I was playing an intense round of Temple Run, I heard the door squeak open. As I reached three million points, I yelled without looking away from the phone, "No mom, I'm not hungry, thirsty, or bored! Bye!" If she messed up my game, then I'd just leave. Screw Isosceles Peak, I would just get the hell out.

"Well, well, well. Little Miss Rebel is stuck on her phone. Well that's going to change," a familiar voice spoke. Without warning, Jack promptly snatched the phone and quickly stuffed it in his pocket.

I turned to him, my eyes wide, "What the hell! What do you want me to do, read for two years with the same 10 books?" Jack looked smug, like he'd gotten a promotion and could now boss his enemies.

Jack shook his head, "Such language, and you don't even know why I'm here." Before I could say anything, he cut me off, "I just want to talk, maybe ask a few questions."

He seemed friendly, but that wasn't normal. Jack was never friendly. He wanted something from me, and he wouldn't leave until he got something from her. I narrowed my eyes, "What do you actually want?"

"Do you still like cats?" Jack inquired, ignoring my question. Without asking for permission, he sat at the foot of my bed. Gritting my teeth, I moved my legs so that he didn't crush me.

"Why wouldn't I? Do you think just because you killed my cat, that I like dogs better now?" I said, anger in my eyes. I would never forgive him for that. He'd never even paid me back for the death of one of my few best friends.

Rose had been a wonderful cat. I got her when she was two and a half months old, and I was immediately in love with her. She was a very cuddly cat, but she hated Jack just like me, so it gave him a great reason to stay away from me, which I was glad for. Rose was a travel cat, one who never cared where her food was, as long as it was in the same bowl. I loved whenever she slept in my lap, because she always looked so cute and her warmth made me feel safe, as weak as that sounds. I still found myself thinking of her every time I thought of cats. She also had weird, but beautiful eyes. One was a very light shade of blue, while the other was a shade of bright, dark blue that you could stare at forever. She was four when she died.

Jack sighed, "Calm down, calm down. I always said I was sorry about Rose, didn't I?" He looked out the door and continued, "What if I told you you could be Rose? Do you want to know what being a cat feels like?"

I stared at him, "Hell no! I'm fine the way I am! Don't put me in one of your fucking experiments!" What if it went wrong and I turned into some mangled beast? What if I couldn't turn back?

Jack glared at me, "Are you sure? You'll regret it! Do you want to become famous?" His glare sent shivers down my spine, as if he was a vampire staring at my neck, waiting for me to put my guard down.

I shook my head, "I'd rather not be a guinea pig to an experiment that's definitely going to fail. Now can you please give me my phone and leave?" Admittedly, I was somewhat scared of Jack.

Jack's eyes darkened as I got the phone, dropped it, and began to leave. As he reached the door, he turned and said three words that made my blood freeze, "You'll regret this." Without another word, he went into his bedroom across the hall and closed his door.

_That night..._

The room I'm in is dark and dusty, but unfamiliar. I'm sitting in an old chair that looked like it belonged in a Kindergarten. There's nothing in the area except for darkness. I looked around for clues as to where I was, but I couldn't see any. Suddenly, I heard a chainsaw start behind. Turning, I saw none other than Jack, about to slice my arm off.

I began to scream, but then I woke up with real pain in my arm. It felt like a needle. I quickly opened my eyes only to see Jack triumphantly standing over me with a half empty syringe. I screamed in surprise, "What the hell did you put into me Jack!"

Smugness filling his expression, Jack smiled and said, "The formula. Don't worry, I can change you back later, but for now, enjoy being a cat!" He left the room without looking back.

I began to panic. I mean, wouldn't you if you were told you were being unwillingly turned into a pet? What if my fears came true, and I was some mangled beast? I heard a radio turn on in the other room, as if Jack thought I was going to scream.

I tried to get up, but it felt like I was being weighed down by something. I could only manage to stand up while leaning on the wall. I screamed, "Mom!" But no answer came. I began to breathe harder as my panic grew, when would the transformation begin?

Suddenly, I felt a pop in my bones that made me gasp in pain. It was starting. I felt myself shrinking as my bones began to pop like popcorn, making me scream in agony. As I shrunk, my bottom layers fell off, leaving me bare naked except for a shirt that was beginning to grow way too big for her. I gasped as I felt my breasts sink in until my chest was flat. Somehow, I managed to take off my shirt, knowing that it would completely cover me if I shrunk anymore.

I nearly blacked out as the intense pain grew. as my shoulder and leg bones completely rearranged, I was forced to drop down to four legs. As I wailed in pain, I felt an itching sensation. Somehow looking down as my ears began to move back, I saw a layer of gray fur beginning to grow across my bare body. I screwed my eyes shut as they along with the rest of began to burn, while still screaming. Eventually, my screaming was cut off by burning in my throat.

After what seemed like years of pain, it ended. I opened my eyes, and I saw and smelled that the world had changed. Everything that had once seemed normally sized was now quite big, and I could smell so much! I even smelled something that my brain told me was my own fear. I sensed the air flow on my whiskers and the strong scent of Jack in her room. It was weird, but wonderful at the same time. Of course, I was outraged, but I had to admit, it was kind of cool to be able to smell so much. I could also see so much better than I could see before I was stabbed with the needle.

Suddenly, a noise filled my eardrums, and I felt one ear turning towards the quickly opening door, and it felt natural. I quickly turned to see the evil scientist stepping in the doorway. His gaze lit up when it fell upon the perfect transformation. Before he could step any closer, I found myself hissing, "Don't you come any closer! I have claws now!"

Weirdly, it sounded like I was speaking English. Was I a special cat? Did he understand me?

However, my hopes were dashed when Jack laughed and said, "You sound just like Rose did when she was angry at me. Too bad you probably won't be able to understand what I'm saying." I knew I was truly a cat because his words sounded like true gibberish. The bastard.

I looked down and saw that my claws had come out of their sheath without me noticing. Being a cat was definitely weird. Well I was looking down, Jack stepped closer and added, "Oh and by the way, I sedated your mother so that she wouldn't hear the screams. She'll be mad at me for doing this without her consent, but she'll forgive me. She always does." As he came closer, I hissed at him without words. I didn't want him touching me.

Jack shook his head, "Rose, Rose, Rose. Well, good thing I brought your favorite treat." I watched as he left the room not knowing what he was doing. After a moment, I scented something irresistible coming from somewhere in the house. Even though I knew it was Jack, I followed it. It smelled so delicious that I couldn't stop. The fact that I was starving didn't help. Eventually, I came to the kitchen and saw Jack holding a bowl of something.

After a moment, I realized what it was. He was holding a bowl of special steak chunks from a market near where they used to live. Rose had always gone crazy for it, and since I was apparently Rose now, I was to. I watched intently as Jack made some hand gestures with his nails and his arm. I quickly understood what he meant. No clawing equals more steak. Smiling, Jack set the bowl down, and I immediately ran towards it and began gobbling it down. The taste was so succulent that I had to pause to take in some of the taste.

While I was snapping up the last bits of meat, I felt a pressure on top of my head. Flattening my ears, I looked up to see Jack with a hand carefully held over my head. With the bliss that I was feeling, I consented to his stroking, bending my head towards him, I relaxed as I felt his surprisingly light fingers going across from my head to my tail. After a moment, I felt a vibration coming from my throat, and I realized that I was purring. Content washed over me as I closed my eyes in pleasure.

After a minute or two, I realized what was going on and backed away. He was trying to bribe me, and it was working. I narrowed my eyes, wondering why Jack would try and have her be his friend. Suddenly, I realized why he was doing it. He wanted me to go out into the wild and talk with the cats, then turn me back so I could tell him. It was why they'd come, but how'd she find the cats, and would she even understand them?

Sighing, Jack beckoned me towards him as he walked back towards my room. Suspicious, I followed him, and was surprised when he let me into the room and closed the door. Where was he going? I waited, and after a while the door opened again, with Jack carrying a large, blue, circular thing. Once he set it down, I realized what it was. It was a cat bed. At least I wouldn't be sleeping on the floor. I looked up gratefully at Jack, though I knew he didn't understand.

I stepped into the cat bed, and watched as he left. For some reason, I felt like I had to circle around before I laid down, so I did what all cats do. I circled around a few times, then I curled up and fell asleep, my tail under my chin.

_The next morning..._

I awoke to a very loud and shrill sound, which I assumed was my mom screaming at Jack. I yawned and got up. Damn, that cat bed was comfortable. I stretched, basking in the sunlight streaming in through the one window of my room. She'd never thought that she'd be a cat, let alone a clone of Rose, with the same likes and dislikes, and even the same eyes. How did Jack even do it?

As I thought, I found myself licking my fur for some reason. After a moment, I realized that I was grooming. After smoothing down some ruffled fur between her ears with a wet paw, I padded towards the door, which was slightly open, and nosed it open. I quietly snuck into the kitchen, where my mother was sitting on a chair and yelling something at Jack, who was looking bored. Without meowing to alert them to my presence, I instinctively rubbed my body around Jack's legs, drinking in his strong scent. I noticed that my mother had a sweet scent, and as she yelled, I butted a free hand with my head.

My mother jumped. Obviously too busy with scolding her boyfriend, she hadn't noticed me. She stared at me with concern in her eyes and said, "Are you okay Alessandra?" But of course, I didn't understand her. I sensed her concern though, so I licked her hand. If anyone could get me the antidote, she would.

My mother sighed. Saying something to Jack, he left and brought back an empty bowl, giving it to her. She brought it over to the sink and filled it up, placing it down in front of me. Purring my thanks, I absent-mindedly lapped up the lukewarm, yet refreshing water. What if there was no antidote? What if I was stuck as a cat? As Rose? Would I forever be the family pet?

Once I didn't feel like drinking anymore, I stared up at my mother, wondering what she was thinking. She looked as if she were considering something. I heard her say something, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't understand it. The words were, "You know what? You're right. We should take advantage of her being a cat while she's calm. We can 't let her out into the wild yet, but we can have her walk around outside for a little bit to get used to it." I watched her as she walked over to the coat rack and began putting layers on. What was she doing? Was she going to her lab to get an antidote?

As she opened the door, she beckoned me over. Why did she need me? Maybe I had to be in the lab to take the antidote? Confused, I quickly ran over to her and stood at the door, staring at the snow outside. The blizzard had ended, but snow was everywhere. How would we get to her lab? Suddenly, I felt a push and I found myself on the small porch, my mother quickly following and closing the door. What was she doing?

I looked out at the snow, which looked quite brilliant in the afternoon sun. Careful, I jumped down the steps and took my first steps in snow as a cat. The first thing I noticed was that it wasn't extremely cold, but it felt very wet on my gray paws. There was a light breeze that chilled through my fur though, and I shivered. Looking back at my mother, who had sat down on the steps, I tilted my head. She moved her hand as if she was shooing me, which annoyed me. Did she just take me for exercise or something? Sighing, I padded towards the car, sniffing it. I wrinkled my nose after smelling it. Damn, that thing smelled like twenty thousand garbage cans had been poured on top of it. I jumped up to the higher banks of snow and looked around. The mountains did look beautiful.

Suddenly, the snow collapsed beneath me and snow went into my mouth, nose, and eyes. I quickly jumped out and shook the snow off, but my fur was now soaked. I turned and saw my mother staring in concern. Grumbling to myself, I shook some water from my pelt and ran over to the door, ignoring my mom. I scratched the door and looked back at her, but she was looking at her phone. I scratched it again and mewed, "Mom!"

She looked over and me and stared for a moment, her gaze still thoughtful, as if I had become her experiment too. Was I even her daughter? Was she thinking of me as a cat, not a human? However, after a moment she shook her head and got up. She walked over and opened the door, and I bounded in, going towards my bedroom, ignoring a call from Jack. I quickly circled in my cat bed and curled up for the second time that day.

_That evening..._

This time, I awoke to a familiar, and wonderful scent. I quickly picked my head and saw Jack holding a few morsels of steak in his hands. I got up, gave myself a few licks, and went over to his hands. It was the same meat that I'd had before, so I began carefully eating, avoiding Jack's fingers. However, as I ate, I suddenly felt a pain in my foreleg. Jerking myself back, I saw that Jack had pulled out another syringe and had injected something else into me. I quickly snapped my head, trying to bite his hand, but he jumped back and quickly ran from the room, slamming the door behind him.

I slumped down onto my side. What was going to happen this time? Was she going to turn back, or turn into another animal? I gasped as I felt a now familiar crack in my spine. I was transforming into something.

Since you've already read a description of the transformation, I'll spare the details. The transformation went backwards and I eventually found myself naked yet again, lying on the cold wooden boards. Realizing that it wasn't very warm, I got up to my thankfully two feet and looked for the clothes I had been wearing when I had first transformed. I quickly found them behind the cat bed and quickly put them on. Who knew when Jack would come back.

As I slipped on my shirt, I heard the door creak open. I put my arms through the sleeves and I was fully dressed by the time the door fully opened. However, when I looked, it wasn't Jack, it was my mom. We stared at each other for a moment, before she came in and hugged me. After a moment of stunned silence, I hugged her back. "Are you okay?" My mom said, "That screaming sounded horrible."

I smiled at her, "Trust me mom, I'm fine." I was just happy that I could understand her. As I smiled, she pulled back and looked at me, as if examining the changes. However, when she looked at my face, her eyes widened.

"Alessandra?" She said, her eyes unblinking. She looked concerned for some reason.

"What is it?" I replied. I looked down at my body. I felt completely normal and I looked like it too.

"Your eyes," she said breathlessly, "They aren't hazel anymore. They're the same color as Rose." She quickly pulled out a hand mirror and opened it.

I looked in it, hoping she was joking, but she was right. My once hazel eyes had turned into two mismatched colors. One light and one was bright and dark blue. I stared and stared, but the colors wouldn't change. Sighing, I sat down on my human bed. "You can go now," I said. I wanted to sleep.

"But," my mom began to say, but I shooed her away and laid down on my human bed, curling up as if I were still a cat. Sighing, my mother left the room, and I fell asleep.

_The next morning..._

I opened my eyes to see that nothing had changed. I'd finally had a normal sleep. It was silent throughout the house, so I concluded that Jack and my mom must be sleeping. I got up on my feet and looked around, searching for my bag. After a moment, I saw it on the ground and picked it up. It hadn't been damaged. I put it in my pocket and tiptoed out of my room, trying to be quiet. I made it to the refrigerator and opened the door. There wasn't anything good to eat, so I just poured myself some orange juice.

As I took a sip, I heard a crack behind me. I quickly set the cup down and whirled around to see Jack smiling at me. Before I could say anything, he said, "So, did you enjoy that meat?"

I glared at him, "You're a true bastard, you know that right? If I could, I'd leave right now! Who turns a future step-daughter into a cat? Do you see what you've done?" I pointed to my eyes, "They're the same color as Rose's now! Am I slowly turning into a cat now? Is there really an antidote?"

"Calm down, calm down. That may be a side-effect, but you're still human. I have a deal," Jack replied. He appeared truly serious, so I stopped ranting. He continued, "If you let me give you the transformation injection again, and you investigate the cats in the area, I'll give you all the books and electronics you've ever wanted, along with a new cat."

My eyes widened. That was very tempting. Just ask some cat why they live here and get everything I've ever wanted? Sounded great to me. I nodded, "That does sound nice."

Jack smiled evenly, "Then do we have a deal?" He extended his hand. Without thinking anymore, I shook his hand. He smiled, "I'll tell your mother and then we'll do it." He walked into their bedroom, leaving me alone with my orange juice.

A couple minutes later, he came back. "Your mother agreed!" Jack explained, his eyes glowing. He was very excited for this. He quickly guided me into my room. "Are you ready?" He said. Sighing, I nodded and he injected me. He quickly left the room and closed the door. So that they wouldn't suffocate me, I quickly took my clothes off and waited for the transformation, my naked body nearly freezing.

_After the transformation..._

I was back in the world as a cat once more. I felt the same as I did before as Rose, but I could feel my stomach rumbling. I needed breakfast, or else my stomach would die. Unsurprisingly, Jack opened the door at the perfect time, and I ran past him into the kitchen

When Jack came over to me, I pawed the fridge and looked up at him, hoping he would understand, but for some reason, he left the kitchen. I followed him only to see him taking something that smelled weird out of one of his bags. He opened it and set it down in front of me. It was a small can of tuna. As a human, I wasn't a big fan of fish, but I tried it anyways. It didn't have too much taste, but the slimy fish certainly quieted her stomach.

After I finished, I looked up to see Jack completely covered by a large, puffy snow jacket and some snow pants. He beckoned me to the door, and I followed him.

Once we were outside, Jack led me over to a path that led farther down the mountain and motioned for me to keep going. He wanted me to find a cat, and question it. Sighing, I began to navigate down the path. I turned and saw Jack already opening the door and rushing in. Damn, he must hate the cold.

I looked far below, searching for any landmarks. As I looked, I saw what looked like a cat far below me, padding down another path. Weirdly, it seemed like he was watching me.

Suddenly, I felt a rumble in the ground. What was going on? The ground shook once more, and I found myself tumbling down the cliff. Once I landed in a clearing full of snow, I inspected my scratches. There was nothing serious. However, my panic flared when I looked up to see tons of snow tumbling down the cliff as well. I was in an avalanche! I tried to scramble away, but it was too late. Pain and freezing cold washed over me as the snow covered me and I lost consciousness.

**A/N:**

**Wow! This was by far my longest chapter ever! Over 5,000 words! Just for the prologue too! I hope this story will be great!**

**Is Alessandra A.K.A Rose okay? What's up with Jack? Who is that cat that was watching Rose? Will Rose get home? How is Rose involved with and how does she get get there? **

**I did all this in three days. Wow! I'm proud of myself! **

**People in Florida are freaking out over 45 degree weather while we have -10-20 degrees with wind chill. Stupid Floridians. No offense, of course. Lol.**

**Have a nice snow/ice/rain/nothing day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

**Wow, I had very little views on the Prologue. 25 is barely anything! C'mon guys! Get some friends over here! I'd appreciate it, but I won't hold the story hostage like some authors do.**

***spoiler* No more transformations! *End spoiler***

**How's Rose doing after the fall? Find out after the review replies!**

**Gingy: I don't exactly agree with you. It is less words than the average chapter in a good chapter book, so it's not even really standard. Plus, if I only used the dream segment, it'd be 597 words or so, which'd be my shortest chapter ever. Then Chapter One would be still 5,000 words. Not true by the way, the whole second one was wonderful. Rose Is on the mountain at the moment, yes. No, Jack was not a cat and Thornclaw isn't crazy like in Fever. :3 Thanks for reading!**

**LoTS: Thanks for reading!**

**Shout: It's long and I'm proud. :D**

**Here we go!**

_Chapter One: The Rose and her Thorn_

Warmth. That was one thing I didn't expect after an avalanche. I expected crushing cold, the feeling of dying, or even falling farther down the mountain, but not warmth. The ground beneath me was cold, but I barely felt it. The warmth was too great for the ground to freeze me.

However, one thing concerned me. I felt a presence through the warmth. It was larger than me, and the cat was asleep, its flank rising and falling steadily. Apparently, I had been saved. Whether the cat would be friendly or not was a mystery. Maybe I should leave now before he woke and return to the cabin. Would Jack even accept me in so soon? I have no information, so he wouldn't hold up on his deal until I have some.

Deciding to leave, I opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was the giant cat laying next me. The cat was male, and he was much stockier than me, which scared me. Could he hurt me if he wanted to? The second thing I noticed was that we were in a large cave, though it was more like a system of caves, with visible splits everywhere, with our resting place as the main cave. How did I get here? The tom must've been freezing digging her out of the snow and dragging her into a cave. Speaking of dragging, I could feel some scratches and bruises where I must've slammed and scraped into rocks. They didn't hurt much though.

Yawning, I began to get up. However, as I got halfway up, I felt my chest tighten and I sunk back on to the floor, coughing. After the bout left me, I wheezed. What the hell had happened to me? Did I hurt my lungs?

I jumped as I felt the cat shift up. He was awake. I finally took a good look at him. He had long black fur with a pair of sparkling amber eyes. It seemed as if he had no place in the mountains, with all of the snow, but he was here, and he was the cat she'd from the path. She was right. He had been watching her.

"Oh, well that's not good," he murmured, "I didn't save your life only to have you die from disease." He seemed proud, yet he didn't seem very talkative. Weird combination.

I tilted my head, rasping, "Why did you save me? I have nothing that I can give." I was still afraid that the calm cat in front of me would snap and kill me.

The cat paused, as if pondering the question. "Anything for a beautiful she-cat like you," he finally replied. His reply aggravated me. I had better things to do than to be hit on by a cat I just met.

I scowled, "I don't have time for flirting! I need to get back home!" The cabin was my only option. I had no sense of direction in this barren wasteland. I would probably fall down a cliff within five steps. This cat could help.

"Flirting?" The tom explained, "Never! I was just stating the obvious. Your eyes are especially beautiful." He seemed at ease even as I grew more and more tense.

I glared at him, "Stop it! I know you saw where I fell from! Can you take me there?" I had nearly had enough. If this cat flirted one more time, I'd navigate through the snow myself.

The cat sighed, "Fine, I'll take you back to your owners, but you should run free. The other kind are bird-brained, and they aren't good for anyone. He got up slowly, as if he was burdened by something. He turned his head back towards her, "Oh and by the way, My name's Thorn." He slid out his his claws, probably showing her the origin of his name. They were long and very thin and sharp at the end. I shivered as I imagined ripping through me like a knife through butter.

I frowned, "Run free? In this place? I just want somewhere warm to stay! Oh and also, I have no owner. I just live with them, but I have to agree, they are stupid." The cabin was cold, but it was much better than sleeping in the snow.

Thorn laughed, "Trust me, if you live there, you're owned by them. They don't care whether or not they leave. If you want somewhere warm, just stay with me, I can take us somewhere warmer." He looked right into my eyes, which disturbed me, "I told you my name, now tell me yours."

Rose admittedly found herself stuck in Thorn's glittering amber gaze. "Oh, well, it's ummm, it's Rose." It seemed as if Thorn's eyes had a life of their own. It felt like they were holding her in place, as if he was a male Medusa.

Thorn smiled, "What a beautiful name. Rose. It sounds perfect." His gaze darkened, "Time to return you to your home. Let's go before it gets dark." He turned and slowly padded towards the entrance, waiting for me to follow him.

I sighed. If I had hands then I probably would've strangled Thorn by now. "Alright then, I'll go," I mewed, padding up next to him at the entrance, waiting for him to lead.

He smiled, "I'm happy to be in your service Rose." He bounded out into the cold. Shaking my head, I jumped after him. The cold immediately stung my muzzle, making me flinch, but I pushed on after Thorn, who wasn't going any slower for her. I could see his black pelt contrasting against the snow, which helped a lot. It was very foggy, and if she lost Thorn, than she'd either starve or freeze to death.

However, I happened to bump into him as he stopped. We both flopped to the ground, panting. I lifted my head up, breathing heavily, "You're...you're pretty fast for someone as large as yourself." My lungs still felt bad, but it wasn't bad anymore, so I found some energy flowing into my paws.

Thorn laughed softly, "I try." Getting up, he beckoned me to follow him again, "We have to go up now." I blinked. The path wasn't a true path, it was a large pile of boulders that seemed to make a natural staircase. As Thorn began to climb, he paused and looked back at me, "Be careful, okay? These rocks are kind of slippery."

I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Unsheathing my claws, I used them to climb up boulder by boulder, until I was in step with Thorn. He looked sideways at me, "How are you doing?"

I glared at him, "While other than my freezing paws and my cough, I'm perfectly fine. I certainly enjoy growing icicles on my whiskers!" I wish that I'd never agreed to Jack's stupid deal. If all cats were like Thorn, she'd freeze herself to death.

Thorn sighed, "Would you rather be left to die under a layer of snow? Even if you don't want to run wild with me, I'll get you to your owners." As he spoke, we reached the top of the boulder pile. He dipped his head, "Follow this path up and you'll get to your owners."

I sighed, "Well, goodbye then." I bounded up onto the path, mewing over my shoulder, "Thanks for, well, saving my life!" I didn't hear a response. Looking back, I saw that he had turned, beginning to climb down. Blinking against the wind, I began the climb.

Once I finished, I found myself overlooking the cabin porch, where Jack was sitting. He seemed to be holding a syringe. Maybe that was the antidote? I watched to see what he would do. As I watched, he got up off of his chair and walked towards a cliff. I watched in horror as Jack threw it off the cliff, laughing. If that was the antidote, then I was screwed. Damn.

I nearly jumped over and attacked him, but I thought better of it. Jack would gladly kick her off the cliff. The deal was off. Furious, I turned away and stalked back down the path.

Not long later, I realized what I'd done. I was all alone. I'd pushed Thorn away and Jack had betrayed me. Unless I found Thorn again, I'd die. I had no way to get food. How do cats get food anyways? This mountain seems barren. Surely there had to be some life up here, or else Thorn wouldn't be up here.

I finally reached the bottom of the path. Now all I had to do was climb down the rock pile. Simple, right? Apparently not, because as I scrambled down the first rock, I missed a pawhold and began falling. I bumped painfully into some of the rocks on the way down, until I landed with a light thump on one of the snowdrifts.

I sunk in to the pile, my pained yowls muffled by the snow. As if this was my worst nightmare, I began to panic. Memories of the avalanche overwhelmed me, and I found myself flailing around in the snowdrift. However, a moment later I found myself slipping out into the open, wet but still alive and well. I wheezed heavily, feeling familiar pain in my lungs. Was this going to be a problem? If I fell in shallow snow, would I panic again?

Once I recovered, I got up, trembling. I'd have to hope Thorn hadn't gotten too far away, or else I'd be done. I began to follow the path that I saw Thorn take. It was steep, but it led to a large clearing, so maybe he was resting down there.

After a slow climb down, I managed to safely hit the ground below. Looking around, I could see nothing but rocks and snow, but there were no visible paths. Where did he go? I walked around, looking for clues, when I saw a hollow a few feet up the side of a rock wall, nearly covered by fallen snow. Curious, I stretched up to investigate.

Suddenly, a familiar smell hit my nostrils and I felt something grip me and toss me to the ground, pinning me. I twisted my head to see Thorn. "I thought you were leaving?" He mewed, light surprise evident even through his calm tone.

I growled softly, "Who says I was coming after you?" I didn't want to give him any more encouragement. He was annoying enough, but I needed a guide.

"You didn't want to leave me! You wanted to follow me instead of those mouse-brained owners, so you came after me!" Thorn purred. Apparently he had his encouragement anyways.

I'd had enough though. "I only want a guide out of these mountains, not your companionship! Now get off me!" I hissed. Being pinned against freezing rock was nice and all, but I'd rather warmth.

"Oh. Okay then," Thorn mewed, slipping off me. I gratefully jumped up to my paws, shaking snow off of my pelt, not caring whether or not it landed on Thorn. I knew I'd been kind of harsh, but I had no regrets.

I turned to him, "I do ask one other thing though. Could you teach me how to hunt? I need to learn, so that when we separate, I can get food." I certainly hoped that the wilderness I'd seen on the way to the cabin was edible, because I would have to fend for myself.

Thorn hung his head, "Don't worry Rose, I'll take you down the mountain. Once we reach the bottom, I'll take you to a forest and teach you how to hunt." He pointed his tail at the hole in the wall, "That's where I've been staying for the last few days. I have some prey inside for us to eat." I was pretty hungry, considering I hadn't ate in what seemed like forever.

I followed him in, pushing past the fallen snow and entering the den. It was much smaller than the cavern they'd been in earlier, but it was large enough for three or four cats. I smelled something very appetizing in the corner of the den. A moment later, I realized that the smell came from two small rabbits and a mouse. I'd have to eat animals that humans keep as pets? Hopefully it would taste as good as it smelled. I sat down across from Thorn, who'd already ripped off part of mouse, blood dripping from his jaw.

As I stared hesitantly at the mouse, Thorn piped up, "The mouse is going to turn into a block of ice if you stare at it any longer. Go ahead, try it, it won't kill you." Reluctantly, I dipped my head and snapped up a medium sized portion. It was better than I expected, but the specialty steak had been much better. I could definitely eat more. "Do you like it?" Thorn mewed, hope in his eyes.

I nodded, "Not that great, but I'll eat until I'm full." I did as I said, sharing the mouse and half a bird, which I happened to enjoy more, with Thorn. After I finished, I laid down on my side, content. Next I could look forward to hunting once we finished traveling down the mountain. The lack of hunger and the warmth of Thorn at my side slowly lulled me to sleep, as the winds buffeted across the windy landscape that they were to traverse.

**A/N:**

**Wow! Thorn has appeared, and Rose doesn't really like him. She plans to split once they leave the mountains, but Thorn doesn't seem so pleased. Is there something going on? How do they play in with the Clans and the prophecy? Well, you'll just have to find out.**

**Less than half of what I had in the prologue, but I felt a need to stop it there, because I now know how to end Chapter Two.**

**For my Echo of a Clan fans, my next chapter that I post will be for that story, not this. Hopefully I'll be refreshed.**

**What don't you like about this chapter? Please say in your reviews. ConCrit isn't allowed, it's encoraged!**

**Time to study for mid-terms!**


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